Nothing To Lose: A Grey Justice Novel (37 page)

“My apologies. I just find you so delightfully unexpected.” He nodded his head at her empty seat. “Please, sit down again and let’s chat. No more touching, I promise.”

Her expression wary but interested, Kennedy seated herself again. “All right. I’m listening.”

“I want you to come work for me.”

“Why?”

“Because I think we would work well together. Wealth and power obviously don’t impress you. I need someone like that in my camp.”

Yeah. And the fact that he would be stealing her right from beneath his brother’s nose had nothing to do with it. Eli and Grey had this man pegged to a T. Adam’s attraction to her had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with greed. He simply didn’t want his brother to have something he didn’t.

“Why would I leave Eli?”

“You may be sleeping with him, but he’s a means to an end, nothing more.”

She gave him a frosty glare. “Once again, you insult me with your assumptions.”

“My apologies. So you do care for my brother?”

“I believe we’ve established that my relationship with your brother is none of your business.”

 
“Fine. But you have to admit that working for Eli is a mere stepping stone to where you really want to go.”

“And you’re supposed to be the next step up?”

“Oh no. I’m far above the next step up. I can do things no ordinary man could get away with.”

His sheer arrogance made her insides threaten to explode. Showing no outward sign of her inner fury, she asked coolly, “Oh, really. Like what?”

“Come work with me, and you’ll find out.”

No other words could have enticed her more. This was exactly what she wanted. Still, she couldn’t seem too eager. “I don’t know. Leaving Eli in the lurch wouldn’t be fair.”

“You let me deal with Eli. You don’t ever have to see him again if you don’t want to.”

“And I would be performing the same duties for you as I do for Eli?”

“With a few notable exceptions.” Before she could say anything to his obvious reference to sex, he held up his hand. “My bad. Yes, you would be performing the same duties, but I’m a mover and shaker in the state. Eli is nothing more than an ordinary businessman.”

Deciding to play on his ego a bit, she nodded. “You do have a cutthroat reputation that Eli doesn’t have. I find that strangely appealing.”

“You can have some of that power, too. Just say yes.”

“The temptation is strong.”

His smile smug, he took a long swallow of wine and leaned back in his chair as if his mission was accomplished. “I have to admit, I’m surprised you’re agreeing to it already. I thought I would have to coerce you a little more.”

“Who said I was agreeing to it?”

“I can see the answer in your eyes. I’m good at reading people. That’s why I know we’d work well together.”

Kennedy took a moment to think about her next move. One of the many things she’d learned from Irelyn was that giving yourself time before responding served two purposes. You wouldn’t speak words you would later regret, and the other person would know they weren’t in total control. Speaking without thinking gave power to others. And, in this case especially, she refused to allow this man to believe he could control her. She was in charge of this situation.

“So, what’s it to be?”

With her slow response, the doubt had returned to his eyes. Allowing him to sweat a little more, Kennedy took time to really look at the man who had destroyed her life. He was so very ordinary looking. His thick blondish hair was probably his best feature. The rest of him was a mishmash of Mathias’s and Eleanor’s features and, unfortunately for Adam, he hadn’t gotten their best. In fact, it was hard to see any resemblance between Adam and Eli. Where Adam had gotten shortchanged on looks, Eli was quite handsome.

Seeing the impatient flicker in his dark eyes, Kennedy took a breath and then said in a calm, almost bored voice, “You’re right. I do think we would work well together.”

“Excellent!”

Before he could gloat in his triumph, their food arrived. Taking the interruption as a brief reprieve, Kennedy stayed quiet. Small talk was something you did to fill an uncomfortable silence or when you felt at ease with your companion. For this situation, silence was just another power play.

She focused on the food in front of her. When she did look up, she was pleased to see the uncertainty in his gaze again.
 

“How is your meal?”

“Delicious. Thank you.” Though she could have been eating dirt for all the pleasure she derived from it, her taste buds did acknowledge that the food was good.

 
“I come here maybe once or twice a week. All I have to do is walk in the door, and they have a table for me.”

Adam had told her earlier that he’d made reservations. He was still trying to impress her and proved that even more by suddenly filling the silence with a long, babbling string about his influence within the city and state. Kennedy was more than pleased to let him. The more he talked, the less she had to say. And while much of the chatter was hot air, she listened intently, looking for information that could later be used against him.

They were in the middle of dessert when things became uncomfortable again.

“You know Eli won’t marry you, don’t you?”

Even if she hadn’t been playing the role of ice queen, the question would have offended her. “As we’ve established, my relationship with your brother, or anyone else for that matter, is not your concern.”

“It is if I’m to trust you.”

“How so?”

“My brother and I don’t see eye to eye on most things. Even though he’s in charge of Slater House Hotels, he’s not involved with certain other aspects of the family business.” He shrugged. “Eli’s a selfish, self-absorbed asshole. Always has been. He looks out for number one.”

She was glad she wasn’t drinking anything or she would have spewed liquid all over the most self-absorbed asshole she’d ever met.
 

“I see.” Deciding to play on his ego again, she nodded. “I’ve observed a little of that, but he is quite charming.”

Belying the description of Eli being selfish and self-absorbed, Adam said, “Those brats of his are his biggest concern. No woman is going to come before them.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course I am.” His smile one of triumph, he continued, “As my executive assistant, you’ll enjoy all the perks of such a prestigious position without having to contend with any other distractions.”

“That’s good to know.” And then because she simply wanted to see his reaction, she said, “By the way, my condolences on the loss of your brother, Jonah.”

For the first time in their brief acquaintance, she thought she glimpsed some humanity in the man. A look that could have been sadness crossed his face, and even though the emotion disappeared almost immediately, she did believe it confirmed Eli’s contention that Mathias was responsible for Jonah’s death, not Adam.

As if he’d revealed no emotion, he said, “Thank you, but every family has a bad seed or two. Jonah made his bed a long time ago.”

Unable to offer more sympathy and certainly resistant to agreeing with him, she took a sip from her glass and said, “This wine is delicious.”

“Come work for me, and I’ll see to it that—”

He broke off, distracted by loud voices coming from the front of the restaurant. Kennedy twisted her head around and swallowed hard at the man striding toward them. Dressed in faded jeans, scuffed boots, a white T-shirt and black leather jacket, Nick moved like a giant panther, graceful, dangerous...predatory. Green eyes glittering with a fierce jealousy, he swept his hot gaze over her before targeting Adam.

This was a scenario they had discussed many times. Nick needed to make his presence known in her life in case he ever had to intervene when she needed him. Still, that couldn’t have prepared her for the impact of his appearance. He was like a fierce, untamed warrior—the ultrasexy, badass biker kind.
 

Even though Nick had heard every word of their conversation, seeing Kennedy sitting there looking so calm and in control stilled the fear inside him. Sitting outside, listening to the garbage Adam spewed had been difficult, but Kennedy was behaving like she’d done this her entire life. He was so damn proud of her.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Nick growled. His eyes darted to Adam as he added with scathing disdain, “With him?”

Her eyes wide with both anger and embarrassment, Kennedy shook her head and whispered in a loud, hushed voice, “You shouldn’t be here. This is a business luncheon.”

He shot another glare at Adam. “Yeah. I’ll bet.”

“Rachel, I’m assuming you know this heathen?” The tone of Adam’s voice was as insulting as his words.

“Yes. Grimm is my ex-boyfriend.”
 

“I see.” His expression amused, contemptuous, Adam said, “Would you like to join us? Mr.…uh, Grimm, is it?”

Nick ignored Slater, turned to Kennedy again. “We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t. We’ve said everything we have to say to each other.”

“No, we haven’t, and you know it.”

“I can’t do this right now, Grimm. You need to leave. As I told you, this is a business luncheon…with my new boss.”

 
“I thought Eli Slater was your boss.”

“It’s complicated and really none of your business.”

“I’m not leaving until you agree to talk to me.”

“Fine. Call me later. Now leave before the maître d’ has you thrown out.”

Giving both of them a warning look, with an extra vicious glare at Slater, Nick nodded and growled, “Fine.”
 

Backing away, he strode out of the restaurant, his purpose complete. Now Adam knew that Rachel Walker had a jealous ex-boyfriend who would have no issues with beating his ass, Slater or not.
 

Chapter Thirty-three

The instant Nick left the restaurant, all life seemed to have been sucked out of their surroundings. Soft music and muted conversation flowed around them, but everything was bland and lacking without his electric presence.

“So he’s your ex-boyfriend?”

“Yes.” She shrugged and grimaced. “He has an overpossessive streak that drove me crazy.”

“Don’t worry. Once you move in with me, you won’t have to worry about stalker ex-boyfriends.”

Even though she knew this had been coming, the thought of living under this man’s roof nauseated her. Still, if she were to get the information she needed, this was an important move.

“Move in with you? Why would I do that?”

“All my assistants live with me. Your job is a 24/7 position. You’ll receive a generous salary and benefits, ample vacation time and many perks. However, when you’re not on vacation, you’ll be at my beck and call.”

She could tell he expected resistance. Commonsense told her to express a certain amount, but she wasn’t going to delay the process by telling him she would have to consider it. With that in mind, she frowned and said, “That seems extreme. Couldn’t you call me at home if you need me?”

“No. There are times that I’ll need you at a moment’s notice. Living in my house will make it easier for both of us.”

“Then maybe you’d better tell me exactly how much money and vacation we’re talking about.”

He named a salary double the amount Eli had offered when she’d gotten the job with him. The vacation time was also generous. If she hadn’t known she was going to work with the devil, she could almost have believed that Adam was a generous, thoughtful employer. But she did know and was therefore as wary as hell.

“Why so much? The money Eli is paying is at the top tier for executive assistants.”

“For one…I want to make sure no one tries to steal you away from me. Also, forgive the slur, my dear, but making sure you have more than enough money should ensure you won’t sell information to my competitors.”

Excitement sang through her blood. Knowing she would have access to information that could ruin him almost made her forget her role. Suppressing her glee, she nodded calmly. “I see.”

“So, what’s it to be? You ready to work for a real mover and shaker?”

Taking a breath to steady her voice, Kennedy gave him her first genuine smile since she’d met him. “I believe I am, Adam.”

Mathias hung up the phone and took a moment to savor the victory. Wasn’t every day a man cheated death. The damn doctors here in the U.S. had been all set to sign his death certificate. Good thing he’d had the wherewithal to seek out alternative solutions. Once again, it all came back to the money. He could afford whatever it took to get the job done. He had controlled people’s lives with it, paid to have them killed when they pissed him off, and could make a man do any damn thing he wanted. And now, thanks to that money, he’d just told the Grim Reaper to go to hell.
 

His personal physician was calling it a miracle. No sign of disease, as if he’d never been sick at all. Mathias didn’t believe in miracles. He believed in money. Wealth was the ultimate problem solver.